Some Came Running…for fudge?

Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Shirley MacLaine didn’t go running to Madison, Indiana for fudge, but every once in a while, we do.

Madison, Indiana is a neat town in southern Indiana with very nice architecture, shops, and dining. It sits right on the Ohio River and was the filming location for the 1958 film “Some Came Running,” starrring the aforementioned celebrities.

It was a nice day, we felt like getting out, so we drove down to Madison to pick up some fudge at the Madison Fudge Factory & Guest Suites. They have two guest suites upstairs, and the evening turn-down service includes fudge samples. Don’t quote me, but I think a night’s stay includes a half or full pound of fudge, as well. The shop also sells jellies, jams, salsas, and they have a separate area, which serves as a toy shop.

After getting our requisite supply of fudge, we parked on Broadway and walked along Main Street. We passed by the Ohio Theatre, which annually plays “Some Came Running.”

They also had a star embedded in the sidewalk (reminiscent of the “Hollywood Walk of Fame”) paying permanent tribute to the film and its stars.

We went by the Madison Bank and Trust Company, which is a really neat building. The date on the top is “1833.”

We had dinner at Hinkle Hamburgers, and since I was craving a hamburger, I ordered one. To my surprise, they were small, similar to White Castle’s hamburgers. I was starving, so I ordered another! They were very good!

As sunset approached, we walked back to the car and saw the Broadway Hotel. This place looks like an interesting place to stay. It looks very close to its original 1800’s style. The rooms don’t have many modern amenities like phone, television, or internet service, but they do have the modern essentials of air conditioning and indoor plumbing!

They let us see a room, and we walked up the narrow, creaky staircase. Amazingly, the doors have actual keys!

We drove over to the Milton-Madison Bridge, which carries traffic on US 421.

We drove back home and passed by the Moon-Lite Motel in Versailles (which, in Indiana, is pronounced veer-SALES, not to be confused with vehr-SIGH in France). We saw this motel several years ago and thought it was really cute, with a terrific neon sign too. It was dark, so the neon sign was aglow. I prefer photographing neon at dusk, when there is still ambient light and the sky is a perfect indigo, but you have to take what you can get!

Interestingly, last week, we stopped by here as well. We were visiting several apple orchards in Indiana and felt that we wanted to spend the night out, even though we had no luggage and were less than two hours from home! In fact, we were almost back in Indianapolis, when we decided to turn around and head down to spend the night. Of course, Article 7.4.1 of Murphy’s Law clearly stated that the sign would be reading “NO VACANCY.”

This time, we were strictly passing through on the way home (and of course, Article 7.4.2 of Murphy’s Law dictated that this time, the sign read “VACANCY”). We stopped in to speak with the owner, and she gave us a short tour and history of the property.

We continued home and always looking ahead for cool neon (or other retro) signs, I saw some neon glowing down the road. Signaling Pat to slow, down, we saw the Damm Theatre, in Osgood, Indiana. The alternating blinking lights on the bottom were not on, but the neon was. I stepped out of the car with my camera in hand, and as I adjusted my settings, the blinking lights came on, as if on cue!

We then made the rest of the trip back to Indianapolis. For more photos from Madison, Indiana (taken on various dates), visit my Flickr site: Madison, Indiana

Oh, oh, oh, you got some choice shots. I’ve got to make a series of early-evening trips up 421 so I can catch all the neon at dusk. All the times I’ve been through Osgood, the Damm Theater sign has been off the building as everything was being restored. It’s a fine sign. This isn’t my photo, but this is what the Damm looked like last time I was there: http://www.flickr.com/photos/11537676@N06/2528657339/ And here’s a history of the Damm: http://www.in.gov/dnr/historic/11405.htm